Steel-cleaning machine



Jan. l2 1926.

A. cARTER STEEL CLEANING MACHINE 2- Sheath-Shui: 1

Filed Feb. 11. 19274 Jan. 12 1926.

A. CARTER STEEL CLEANING PMACHINE 2 Sheds-Sheet 2 IFiled Feb. 11, 1924 `unifi-TEDl STATES Pari-:Nr OFFICE.-

' AnBERfr CARTER, ororucnao, 4ILLINOIS,nssrcmon or 'ONE-marmo JAMES B. BLncxv MAN, oF HARRISBURG, ILLINOIS. i

srnnncnnnnno MACHINE.

Application iledl February'll, 1924. Serial No. 691,945.

To all whom t concern." vBe )it 'knownthat I, ALBERT-CARTER, a citizen of .the United-States, and a resident Y rv"of Chicago, in the county of 'Cook and' o State of' Illinois have invented a^=certain new and useful lmprovernent in a Steel- Cleaning Machine, of which the :following is a descriptiom-.reference being hadfto the accompanying .drawings which form 1a part of my specification. v

4 My 'nvention relates to a machine for4 cleanin the surface of steel shapes of cylindrical `form and more'particularly for cleaning the tubes of boilers of the locorno` l5 tive type; namely a machine for removingl the`scale from'theexterior'of the fire tubesV orues of a boiler. x

' `My invention has for its object 'the provision cfa machine for automatically feeding the tubes 'through acleaning zone at a predetermined speed, Vwhile at' the same time vcausing the tubes `to' be rotated so as to subject the entire exterior surfacendurf ing a single passage, to the actionof a suit- "o able abrasive .material under pressure.

' A further-*object of my invention is to .provide a machine adapted for continuous operation, wherein the tubesl maybe suc'- cessively fed through the machine, end to end, and the cleanedv tube'searried through and out of the-cleaning `zone at uniform speed and discharged therefrom.

A further object of thelinventiony is to l,provide a machine wherein the tube feed- '.35 'lng and conveying elements Inayall beV ac-V tuat'ech and `drivenl from `a single source of power ormotor. v V Y Another object 'of 4the invention 1s to provide a machine wherein the .cleaning 40 zone comprises a suitable housing or chamber wherein the forcibly ejected ,abrasive `material and the removed scale or foreign substance will be conned, to permit rec` lamatipn of the abrasivematerial, as *welll as prevent la scattering of the scale re.- V,moved;in other Words, a machine Where- 2 by the possibility of injury to the operators is eliminated. L v -4 l. The above enumerated objects as well as other objects and advantages inherent in' the construction will all be more fully comprehended from the following .letailed Ldescription of the drawings,` wherein:

. Figure 1 is aplan View of my improved machine. l

ing provided with theV openings are prefv .erably beveled as shown at 18, and .provided Figure 2 is aside elevation of the inter- Ir'iediateA ortion of thev machine, with por tlons bro en away. j

Figure 3 is a v iew of a portion of the machine taken substantially on the line 3-3 Qf Figure 4. t

Figure 4 is a detail; sectional view looking from the right hand end of Figure As the supporting `frame or substructure may be of any suitable construction and 'arrangmenn a more or less schematic illustration [of this portion of the machine is shown in the drawings which present an exemplifiction of the invention having a supporting structure which preferably con slsts of timbers or `beams 15,V of suitable length, bolted or otherwise secured together and having suitable supporting standards (not show ).r

Mounted on lain wood shims, at a point intermediate o the ends of the timbers orf, beams 15,.is a housing 16, preferably of sheet ironand any suitable cross-sectional coniguration; as for example more .orless rectangularas shown in the drawings; With the junction vbetween adjacent sides- A provided with openings to receive nozzles as shownat 17 in Figure L4. The portions or junctures between the sides 'of the houswith bosses or blocks 19, preferably 'removably Isecured in place'in any convenient manner and adaptedto hold-the inner noz` zle 17 in place, atthe desired distance from the axis of the.'v housing and therefore at proper distance from the tubeV traveling transversely through the housing. The bosses or blocks 19 are also apertured to receive the nozzles of a compressed air line 20 and theA nozzle of an abrasive medium supply line 21; both of which nozzles are removably secured to the bosses or blocks 1 9 and arranged to discharge into the -mixj ing nozzle 17, 'as shown in Figure 4. While any sultable nozzle construction may `be employedI believeth construction and Vnozzles vand supply linesvma'y be clamped tothe bosses or tothe housing in any convenient manner, as for example by the clips shown at 22. The housing 16 of sheet.

iron also comprises a light angle frame as shown at 23;- and lin the exemplification four nozzles 17 are employed, disposed approximately 90 apart, thus causing the entire surface of the tube or other-cylindricalsteel form to besimultaneously acted upon.

The housing is also preferably provided with a downwardly sloping lower wall as shown in dotted lines at 23a. in Figure 2 in ordery that the abrasive medium and scale may discharge from the housing into a suitable receptacle '.or 'onto a suitable screen' or separator whereby the scale and dirt ma be separated from the` abrasive materral and thus enable a reclamation of the abrasive medium; the chute portion 23, if

desired, being provided with a closure to prevent escapevof dust while the machine is in operation.

' The housing 16 is' provided with suitable openings in the two side walls thereof as shown at 24 in Figure 4, of size. sufiicient to permit passa e of the tubes or cylindrical steel shapes therethrough.

Y The upper most beams or timbers 1 5 are shown provided with blocks 25which have oppositely sloping or bevelled,top.surfaces in order to give the desired angularity or inclination to the operating 0r feeding ele- )ments mounted thereon. Each of the blocks y eo 25, (of whichr a suitable number are employed and spaced desired distances apart lengthwise of the sup ortingJ structure) on one of the sloping sur aces, is provided with a bearingbracket 26 for rotatably supporting the end-of a stub-shaft or spindle of a roller 27. K4The other f sloping surface of each block 25 is also provided with a bearing bracket 28 in which a shaft 29 is' rotatably mounted; the end Vlof the shaftbeng provided witha suitable roller or enlargement as shown at 30. The ldler -rollers 27 andthe rollers or enlargements 30 of the shafts 29 are preferably provided with a Covering of rubber, wood, or other suitable.

friction Aproviding' surface, to induce positive movement of the tubes orcylindrical steel shapes to be cleaned. As 'seen in Figures 2 and 4, the rollers on the ends of the shafts 29 and the idler rollers 27 are inclined in opposite directions and arrangedl at an angle tothe lon itudinalaxis of the' tube operated on fands own at 3,1."

The supporting frame or structure of the machine, at a suitable point, is preferably provided with a motor, theoutline1 of which is shown at 32; andthe pulley on the arma- Y ture -shaft is provided'with a suitable-belt The belt 33 also takes about ay suitable sizedpulley 34 which is keyed on one' of the shafts 29, which is .supported in suitable bearings 35 mounted on the outwardly jutting and sloping timbers 36; the end ofl thel shaft being disposed through the bearing 35 and provided with a pulley'37 to receive a belt or other suitable driving element 38,

which in turn extends about a pulley 39 arranged on the next adjacent shaft 29, in

proximity to its upper bearing 28.

Except for the main drive-belt receiving pulleyy34, all of the shafts 29, intermediate of the ends of the machine, are provided with similar pulleys receiving the driving belts 38, wherebythe shafts are driven from the next preceding shaft, relative to the shaft driven'by belt and pulley 33-34. As

is apparent from the construction shown in the drawings, the-successive shafts 29 at the right hand end of the.1nachine receive their power from pulleys 37 at the lower ends of the precedingshafts, by means of belts 38;

while the succeeding shafts`29 at'the left handnd of the machine `receive their power from the pulleys 39 at the' upper ends of the preceding shafts, by means'of belts 38; and as a result allpof the positively driven rollers 32 are driven in the same direction.

As is apparent .from thedrawings, the

shafts 29 at the ends of'the machine, are

not provided with' pulleys 37 at the right hand end or,3 9 at the left'hand end of the machine.

In the machine, as illustrated in the drawings, the tubes `to be cleaned are.r placed onto the op ositely'inclinin -rollers 27 and 30 at the rig t hand end of t e machine and, when the motoris` set in operation, will be fed to the left through the housing 16; vthe ,tubes havind both rotative, and longitudinal movement through the cleaning zonefwhich ensures the entire surface of the tubes to be subjected to the action of the respective nozflow of the abrasive medium through the lines. With both lines 2() and 21 discharging into vthe nozzle 17, it is apparent that -the abrasive'v medipm will be forcibly lejected onto'the tubes passing through the housingl 16, the respective nozzles 17 being directed toward the axis of the tubes as clearly shown in Figure 4.

As the nozzles 17, in time, will become worn from the medium passingy therethrough, I prefer to removably secure them in,y place; by preference on the housing exterior as shown. i

It is also apparent that where different sized tubes are-to be operated on and where 1 indifferent speed of `movement of thetube's `is desired vthe sizes o f the rollers .27 and 30 lmay be cli fthe res ective pulleys`,or the angularity of anged, as may also-the sizes of the ro ers.

The 'nozzles-17` are preferably mounted in staggered" relation, as shown 'in Figure 2, so as' to simultaneously operate at dilferent points lengthwise *of the tubes; suitable valves or. means (not shown) being em. ployed in the differentlines so that any one of the lines maybe shut oli' while the ma- Y chine is in operation and repair of anyone of the nozzles made possible.

As a means for carrying out my improved method of -cleaning tubes, I'have' shown my improved `tube cleaning machineprovided with four ejecting Anozzles 17, as the preferred construction, but it isevident that any suitable number of nozzles may be employed and thatthe configuration or shapev of the 'housing 16 maybe altered; and I have described the preferredform in terms employed merely as terms'of description and l not as terms of limitation, as structural modieations are possible and may be made without, however, departing from the spirit invention. at' I' claim is A machine of the character described, comprising `a housing, jet action producing means secured' in the. walls of the housing so as to direct jets of an abrasive medium in criss-cross manner toward a common axis, a

" plurality of oppositely inclined rollers adapted to carry a tube in alignment with said axis, and means whereby the rollers are rotated and Jthe tube given rotative and longitudinal `movementy along said axis .throu h the housing.

2. y mach'lie ofthe character described, comprising a; supporting structure, a -housing,.nozzlesmounted on different sidesof the housing and disposed in `criss-cross manner toward, a common-axis, a pressure medium line and an abrasive medium linel con` nected with each nozzle, a set of roller carry- 4ing shafts'rotatably mountedon the s'upporting structure at an inclination tothe axis of the housing, a second set of rollers mcuhtedon the supporting'structure at an inclination to-fsaid axis and disposed in a direction .opposite tov that of the rollers on said shafts, and means whereby all of said shafts may rotated at uniform speed and through said housing.

Amachine of thecharacter described, comprising a supporting structure, a housing, a' plurality of radially arranged nozzles in the walls of the housing all directed toward-a common axis, a plurality of rollers mounted on the supporting structure on opposite sides of the housing, one set of said rollers being disposed in one direction at an inclination and angleto said axis, while the other set of rollers isdisposed in the opposite direction at an inclination and angle to said axis, s and power imparting means whereby all of the rollersy may b'e rotated at uniform speed.

4. A machine of the character described, I comprising stationarily mounted means for providing a plurality 'of circumferentially vstaggered jets of an abrasive medium under pressure, with all of the vjets directed toward I a common axis, and means whereby the material to be cleaned is rotated and progressively moved in one direction along said axls.

5. A machineof the character described, comprising ahousing provided with aligned openings in opposite walls, means secured in opposite walls of the housing at points above' and below the axis of the alignedopenings whereby a plurality of jets of an abrasive medium are directed in opposite directions toward said axis, and tubeI feed-` ing means arranged on opposite sides ofthe housing adapted to simultaneously rotate aoy and move the tube lon ltudinally through the aligned openings o the housing.

` 6. A machine of the character'described, comprising a housing the opposite side walls whereof are provided with aligned open- 'whereby the tubular'material to be cleanedo is given rotative movement and progressivelyv forced through the aligned openings in the side walls of the housing.

ALBER'l` CARTER. 

